Journey Complete
I just love completing a sewing project. It’s such a great feeling of accomplishment! This week I finally finished my large Compass Bag, by Noodlehead, and I’m happy that I get to share it with you all!
This pattern was quite involved and has lots of different steps so it was in the ‘project in progress’ pile for a while. If you didn’t get a chance to read my previous post on the Compass Bag you can find it here. There is some extra information about the pattern and bag construction that you might find interesting.
Anna has made the pattern for advanced beginner sewers and I would agree. It’s got some tricky steps like the construction of the main part of the bag. But it also has a lot of detailed instructions and pictures to help you out. One thing I will note is that I found the curves around the top of the bag to be a bit uneven (when attaching the lining and exterior). So it’s worth making sure the lining and exterior pieces match the original pattern after attaching the fusible interfacing.
The fabric I’ve used for the exterior is ‘Stitch Stem’ from the Cloud9 collection ‘Threads’ by Eloise Renouf. The flower pattern is beautiful and I just love the rich dark blue (I also purchased this fabric in the light blue colour which is just as lovely!). The Accent and lining fabrics are a plain charcoal cotton fabric. I think it makes a lovely contrast.
A few years back I made the small Compass Bag for a holiday to Queensland. I always like a new bag for a trip away – it just makes it more exciting! As you can see I’ve tried both options for the pockets (View A and B). The View B pocket style (on the large bag) takes a bit longer to make and involves a lot of extra work. If you’re a beginner I’d probably stick to the View A style pockets. And overall I’ve found that for practicality and ease of use I actually prefer pocket style A.
The Compass bag is stylish whilst being very functional. I love the exterior pockets – they are so handy for my mobile and travel card. Both are items that I access constantly whilst on the go! Because of the base the bag’s interior is very roomy and will hold all your daily needs. The slight curves along the top add a nice touch to the look of the bag. And the combination and range of fabrics you could use are endless. I’ve even seen quite a few made out of cork fabric which look amazing! Overall I just love this bag!
They are really lovely bags, Dee, and beautifully sewn.